Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo is the country’s most historic and distinguished zoological facility. Attracting an estimated 3 million visitors per year, the not-for-profit Lincoln Park Zoo is also one of the country’s last remaining FREE ADMISSION zoos.

The zoo’s newest feature, the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo, features North American wildlife. Four large outdoor exhibits feature black bears, red wolves, beaver and river otters. By bringing together animal habitats, interactive elements and educational activities, kids learn by touching, smelling, listening, building and playing.

At the state-of-the-art Regenstein Center for African Apes, huge glass windows give guests an opportunity to literally go nose-to-nose with curious and complex apes. The most expensive animal habitat created at the zoo to date, this $26 million facility features 29,000-square-feet of naturalistic living space for endangered gorillas and chimpanzees. The facility encompasses the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes which connects guests to science and conservation initiatives through an integrated program of research, science education and the conservation of wild populations.

A trip through the Regenstein African Journey will fully immerse visitors in the sights and sounds of Africa. This 75,000-square-foot-facility replicates the natural homelands of two dozen African species from the rain forests to the savannas to the lakes of Great Rift Valley. It is home to some of the world’s rarest creatures like black rhinos, wild dogs, pygmy hippos and dwarf crocodiles. Glimpse the giant webs of orb spiders, peak inside the den of an aardvark, or simply enjoy the beauty of regal giraffes and doting lovebirds. An excursion through Regenstein African Journey is an educational adventure.

ChicaGO Guidebook of Special Values participant.

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